The Bible Says Commentary on Joshua 14

In Joshua 14, the division of the land of Canaan begins. Joshua the general, Eleazar the priest, and the Israelite tribal chiefs supervised the distribution. They cast lots to discern God's will in allocating territories to the nine-and-a-half tribes, since Moses had already assigned land to the two-and-a-half tribes east of the Jordan River. As the tribe of Judah approached Joshua, Caleb requested a portion of land because God had promised to reward him for his faithfulness and obedience. Joshua pronounced blessings upon Caleb and granted his request. Then, the Israelites lived peacefully in the Promised Land. The chapter follows this structure:

1. Israel's leaders allocated the land of Canaan to the nine and one-half tribes, while the Levites were given only towns and pasturelands, not a tribal territory (vv 1-5).
   
   
2. Caleb requests the hill country of Hebron as his portion of land because God promised to give him an inheritance due to his unwavering faith (vv 6-12).
   
   
3. Joshua blesses Caleb and gives him Hebron as his inheritance, as he requested. Then, the Israelites lived peacefully and securely in the land of Canaan (vv 13-15).